MPISCC Celebrates the Lunar New Year

In the Filipino-Chinese culture, Chinese New Year is a huge holiday, and is equally as important as Christmas. We wear red to signify good fortune, strength, and happiness. Homes and businesses are decorated with red lanterns, and my family normally prepares a feast consisting of noodles for long life and fish for good fortune. Elders hand out red envelopes (ang pao) to the younger members of the family, and the celebration continues with a dragon dance. Loud drums, cymbals and fire crackers are used to ward off evil and welcome strength, safety and luck.

Since moving to America without our entire family nearby, I normally go to Chinatown to celebrate with friends. However with the current pandemic, we will be celebrating at home.


- Mai Lim, Director of Global Sales, The Centric Collection by ALHI

 

Amanada Ma and family during a pre-pandemic celebtartion in 2020.

Lunar New Year is a time of family gathering to celebrate a new beginning. We typically clean the house before the New Year to rid of “bad luck.” It’s one of my favorite holidays since we spend time with family and extended family that we don’t typically see. Almost everyone wears red, and the kids are excited to receive red envelopes with money inside. We purchase apples and oranges to give to our families because they signify peace and good luck.

This year’s Lunar New Year celebration will be more intimate with just immediate family members. However, we’ll still be filled with traditional foods, games, and red envelopes.

- Amanda Ma, Chief Experience Officer, Innovative Marketing Group
 

Lunar New Year is all about gathering with family and celebrating with delicious Korean dishes like dduk-gook, jeon and galbi. We bow to the elderly, and they give the children words of advice and money. When the kids were little, we dressed them in traditional clothing called hanbok, worn in Korea for formal or semi-formal events. We’re grateful for community, culture and traditions. Saehae bok mani badeuseyo - happy new year, friends!

 - Anna Kim, Director, Destination Sales,

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board

 

 

Lunar New Year represents a new beginning, hope and family.  We usually get together for family dinner at a Chinese restaurant on the eve of the New Year.  We also like to go to Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens to look at the decorations - I always feel more festive when I’m there.

This year we will have hot pot dinner at home with family. We always enjoy good food and company no matter where we are!

- Jen Hurley, CMP, National Sales Manager, New York-New York, Las Vegas Hotel & Casino

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We usually observe the Lunar New Year with red envelopes for the children and an extended family dinner with the traditional Taiwanese foods (turnip cake, hot pot, sticky rice, dumplings, long noodles, and pineapple cake). In addition, we attend Lunar New Year banquets for various organizations and participate in the Lunar New Year program at our children’s school.

This year, my wife and I are taking our children to the Green Valley Ranch Resort, using our gift certificate from the MPISCC’s 2019 Annual Fundraiser, for the long weekend. Unfortunately, all banquets and school programs have been cancelled this year, although we do plan to attend a virtual program for the school instead.

- Felix Wang, General Manager, Thousand Oaks Inn
 

My Chinese New Year celebration centers on family. It’s the one time of year that I can count on seeing all of my cousins, aunts, and uncles at the same time. We typically start with the burning of money and paper goods made to look like fancy clothes, cars, and iPhones. This is our way of sending our ancestors what they need for the year so that they can bring us good fortune.

We then continue on to our Chinese New Year feast with each food item having its own special meaning from long life to prosperity. The grand finale is always the exchange of red envelopes. If you’re lucky enough to be single and without a child, you are on the receiving end of the red envelopes. In my opinion, Chinese New Year is Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year all rolled into one. This year we are just celebrating with our iimmediate family but still continuing all of our traditions. 

- Sacha Tani, CMP, Senior Sales Manager, Private Events Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum